The Battery

What does the future hold for Burke's Stoney Field?

Field of Dreams

Stoney Field was built on an old landfill and settling has contributed to its poor condition

According to Charleston County School District, in June of this year, Davis and Floyd, Inc. completed a Feasibility Study for CCSD investigating site improvements at Stoney Field. CCSD Director of Communications and Technology Andy Pruitt says that the study revealed that "overall, the field condition was rated poor and differential settlement was identified as the main contributor. The settlement is a result of decomposing material embedded in the uncontrolled landfill that Stoney was built upon. Due to this, drainage facilities of the field are also in poor condition. Although the slope of the field is adequate, the network of systems used to transfer water to the sewer system have been impacted by the settlement issue. Davis and Floyd recommended three alternative time-based solutions to improve the field conditions."

The plan is as follows:

One Year: Restore the field with two feet of fill and add 2–4 inches of soil annually until settlement terminates - $1,457,510 plus annual maintenance of $429,000.

Five Year: Restore the field by deliberately consolidating subsurface soils to limit 3–4 inches of settlement in 5–10 years - $2,543,024 plus annual maintenance of $266,000.

Long Term: Install timber piles to support a concrete slab, track and associated drainage will limit long term settlement to less than 1 inch but will still require maintenance for the field - $5,314,806 plus annual maintenance of $266,000.

CCSD reports that in August 2016, they approved $1 million in funding from the Phase IV Sales Tax Capital Program (2017-2022) for the Stoney Field Improvements project.

According to CCSD, "Between July and November 2016, the school district staff met with leaders from both the City of Charleston and The Citadel to pursue possible shared use and funding options. CCSD staff is also pursuing additional funding options."